They're the world's most vulnerable children. Each year, millions of girls and boys are exploited — they are raped, forced into early marriage, enslaved in the global sex trade or used for bonded labor. Their days are filled with dread and their nights with pain. They're alone. There are no adults in their lives who offer them protection.
Every year at least 1.2 million children are estimated to be trafficked around the world and that number is growing. Child trafficking is not limited to developing countries; the U.S. and Europe deal with domestic trafficking issues and also serve as destinations for trafficked children from abroad. Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa are also becoming hot spots for child trafficking. Today, the situation is dire in the Asian region, in countries such as: Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
